Automatic gates for drawbridges.



E. LINDBERG & G. 0; STEPFAN.

AUTOMATIC GATES POE DRAWBRIDGES.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 20,1913.

1' 101,297.- Patented June 23, 1914. 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. LINDBERG & G. G. STEFFAN. AUTOMATIC GATES FOR DRAWBRIDGES.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 20,1913.

1,101,297. Patented June 23,1914.

2 BHEETSSHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANQGRAPH co wAsmNuToN. D. c.

PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL LINDBERG- AND GEORGE G. S TEFFAN, 0F JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC GATES FOR DRAWBRIIDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 20, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1914. Serial No. 774,860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .we, EMIL LINDBERG and GEORGE C. STEFFAN, citizens of the United States, residing at J oliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gates for Drawbridges; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention comprehendsimprovements in automatic gates for draw-bridges and relates more particularly to those which are raised and lowered by the opening and closing of the draw.

One of the objects of the invention resides in the provision of a gate of this nature and means for automatically operating the same, which shall be of extremely simple construction, eflicient in operation, and very strong and durable.

With thisand other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of our invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a draw-bridge equipped with our automatic gates, Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, showing the end of the draw and one of the abutments, Fig. 3 isa section taken on the plane of line 3-3 of Fig. 4, Fig. 4

is an enlarged vertical section taken on the plane of line 4 4 of Fig. 2, showing the draw in its closed position, Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the draw partly open, Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the plane of line 66 of Fig. 3 with the standard shown in elevation, and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section taken on the plane of line 77 of Fig. 5, showing the manner of se curing the supporting dogs.

Referring in detail to the drawings by numerals, 10 designates a pier which supports the draw 11, and 12 designates the piers which support the abutments 13. By referring to Fig, 2, it will be seen that the draw is formed with rounded extremities Which are concentric with the arcuate faces of the abutments 13. Each of the piers 12 also carries a supporting strip or block 1 1 over which the extremities of the draw are positioned when the latter is closed. A plurality of metallic plates 15 are secured to the faces of the abutments and have their vertical edges spaced from one another and formed with grooves 16 so as to form guides for the gate standards 17 and 18 which are provided with tongues 19 adapted to slide within said grooves. The standards 17 carry rollers 20, by means of which said standards are raised and lowered, as the draw is opened and closed. A track 21 is secured to each end of the draw and forms a channel in which the rollers 20 are received when the draw is in its closed position and the gates are down. The intermediate portion 22 of each of the tracks is disposed in a horizontal plane and the end portions 23 diverge upwardly and out wardly, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. It will be seen that all of the rollers 20 are positioned within the horizontal portions of the channel tracks when the draw is closed. When the draw is open the inclined portions 23 will be brought into contact with the rollers 20 and slide the standards upwardly, as shown in Fig, 5. Since the tracks are inclined upwardly at both ends, it is immaterial which way the draw is swung. In order to support the standards when in their raised position, we provide a plurality of dogs 24 which are pivoted within pockets 25 formed in the plates 15. These dogs are arranged in pairs, one pair being provided for the support of each of the standards. When the standards are raised above the dogs the latter swing by force of gravity into the positions shown in Fig. 5 and have their upper edges bearing against the lower ends of the standards. When the draw is being closed the tracks 21 will receive the rollers and force the standards downwardly and this downward pressure will be suflicient to swing the dogs out of the path of the standards. The dogs, however, are of sufficient weight and are so pivoted as to resist quite a strong downward force.

In the present instance we have shown five gates for each abutment but it is to be understood that any number desired may be employed. The inner gates of the abutments are each formed by a single post 26 which is secured to a laterally extending projection 27 formed upon the corresponding upper surface of the draw when the gates- Strips 31 the abutments are formed by two posts 29 which are secured to the standards 17 and 18 in a manner similar to that in which the posts 26 are connected. These ates are received within recesses formed between the plates 15 and the abutments by cutting away said abutments behind the upper portions of the plates, as shown in Fig. 6. The gates carry plates 30 which lie flush with the upper surfaces of the abutments and with the are in their lowered positions. are connected to the tops of the plates 15 and serve to hold said plates in proper re lation with respect to one another so that the grooves 16 will always properly receive the tongues 19 upon the standards 17 and 18.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that we have provided very simply constructed automatic gates for draw-bridges which will be opened and closed by the action of the draw.

It is to be understood that while we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, we do not wish to be limited to this exact construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, but may make such changes as will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 7 1. The combination with a draw-bridge including a draw and an abutment, of gates including a series of standards supported by said abutment and being vertically movable thereon, a track secured to the draw, said track having'a'horizontal central portion and upwardly and outwardly extending end portions, and means carried by the gate standards for reception within said track when the draw is closed, the opening of the draw causing one of the inclined portions of the track to act upon said means and raise the gate standards.

2. The combination with a draw-bridge having a draw and an abutment, of gates including a series of standards carried by said abutment and vertically movable therealong, a channel track secured to the draw and formed with a horizontal intermediate ortion, and an upwardly and outwardly inclined end portion, and rollers carried by the gate standards for reception within the horizontal portion of the track when the .draw is closed and the standards lowered,- the opening of the draw causing said rollers .to ride over the inclined portion of the track and raise the gate standards. a

*3. In a draw-bridge having a draw and an abutment, plates secured to the abutment and having their vertical edges spaced apart, gate standards slidable between said vertical edges of the plates, a channel track secured to the draw and having a horizontal portion v and an upwardly and outwardly inclined end portion, and means carried by thegate standards for reception within the horizontal portion of the track when the, draw is closed and the standards are in lowered position, the opening ofthe draw causing theincllned portlon of the track to ride against said means andraise the gate standards.

4:. In a draw-bridge having a pivoted draw andan abutment, plates secured to said abutments and having their vertical x edges spaced apart, gate standards vertically movable between said plates, gravity dogs pivoted to the plates and adapted to hold the standards'in their raised positions,irollers secured to said standards and projecting laterally therefrom, and a channel track secured to the draw and having a horizontal portion and anupwardly'and outwardly inclined end portion, said rollers being received within the horizontal portion of the track when the draw is closed and the standards lowered, the opening of the draw bringing the inclined portion of the track into .engagement with the rollers and raising the gate standards. 7 In testimony whereofwe afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL LINDBERG. GEORGE G. 'STEFFAN. Witnesses:

' WILLIAM C. RooKMANN, LE0 L. SCHOENSLEDT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 1 

